Hawkins' college connection to Bucs OC Jeff Tedford could only get him so far. The return man hasn't caught a pass in a game since 2012 while with the Titans. Wed, Aug 20, 2014 12:07:00 PM

Bucs signed WR Lavelle Hawkins.

Hawkins, 28 in July, played for new Bucs OC Jeff Tedford at Cal. He has been an ineffective wideout in the pros, but has kick-return value. The Bucs remain extremely needy at wide receiver. Hawkins, Louis Murphy, and Chris Owusu would compete for their No. 2 wideout job if the season began today. Mon, Apr 7, 2014 01:08:00 PM

The Bucs are finalizing a deal with free agent WR Lavelle Hawkins.

Hawkins will give the Bucs depth behind Vincent Jackson following the trade of Mike Williams, but shouldn't be higher than their No. 4 receiver if he makes the final roster. A 2008 fourth-round pick, Hawkins has experience on special teams and is a candidate to return kicks. Sat, Apr 5, 2014 04:50:00 PM

Hawkins, 28 in July, played for new Bucs OC Jeff Tedford at Cal. He has been an ineffective wideout in the pros, but has kick-return value. The Bucs remain extremely needy at wide receiver. Hawkins, Louis Murphy, and Chris Owusu would compete for their No. 2 wideout job if the season began today.

Hawkins will give the Bucs depth behind Vincent Jackson following the trade of Mike Williams, but shouldn't be higher than their No. 4 receiver if he makes the final roster. A 2008 fourth-round pick, Hawkins has experience on special teams and is a candidate to return kicks.

It's an indication the Bolts don't expect Malcom Floyd (neck) back any time soon. The longtime Titan couldn't make it past final cuts with the 49ers, but had a strong preseason. Hawkins should contribute mostly on special teams in San Diego.

Hawkins made some big plays for the receiver-needy Niners in the preseason, finishing with seven catches for 104 yards and one touchdown. But he drew the ire of head coach Jim Harbaugh when he picked up two personal foul penalties in the finale. Hawkins is just 27 years old, but doesn't have the talent to make those mistakes.

27-year-old Hawkins was cut loose by the receiver-needy Patriots early in camp, which tells you all you need to know about his abilities. The 49ers will likely view Hawkins as a camp body due to several injuries at wide receiver.

Hawkins, 27, was released by the Patriots on Wednesday, and he's expected to be in San Francisco this weekend. The Niners have been working out veteran receivers all summer. The team is thin at the position with Michael Crabtree (Achilles'), Kyle Williams (knee), and Mario Manningham (knee) nursing injuries.

So continues the Patriots' annual purge of their veteran receiver fliers. Hawkins' release is both a mild vote of confidence in the Pats' extremely young receiver corps, and poor sign for Hawkins' future. Getting cut loose before August is never a good thing, but particularly so when a team has as little proven depth in your position group as the Pats do in their receiver corps.

Patriots agreed to terms with WR Lavelle Hawkins to a two-year contract.

A fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2008, Hawkins managed just 71 catches over five seasons and was replaced by Kevin Walter. In New England, he'll battle fellow castoffs Donald Jones and Michael Jenkins for a roster spot. Contract details aren't yet available, but we wouldn't expect any guaranteed money. Hawkins isn't a real threat to projected starting "X" receiver Aaron Dobson.

He became expendable following the signing of Kevin Walter, which says a lot about where Hawkins' career has gone. He was owed $1.9 million. Hawkins was active just seven times last season, and has only 71 catches for 771 yards through 52 career games. He offered little on special teams in 2012. The former fourth-round pick will try to latch on elsewhere and compete for a final receiver spot. Nate Washington could be the next veteran wideout to go in Tennessee.

Titans WR Lavelle Hawkins' roster spot is in danger following the addition of Kevin Walter.

Hawkins has a $1.9 million base salary, nearly $1 million more than Walter's 2013 pay. The Titans have never gotten much receiving production from Hawkins, and he didn't help on special teams last season, either. It's possible that the Titans will part with both Hawkins and Nate Washington before the draft.

The Titans opted to play Preston as a reward for stellar play in practices and because he's a better fit in at the "X" position. Hawkins has just four receptions after signing a three-year, $7.2 million contract last February. Kendall Wright's addition has made him superfluous.

Depth Charts

Lovelocke (6'5/248) was a four-year starter for the PVAMU Panthers, completing 57.6 percent of his senior-year passes with a 16:9 TD-to-INT ratio and ten additional rushing scores. A massive quarterback with 10 1/2-inch hands and 34 1/4-inch arms, Lovelocke has ideal tight end dimensions and could get a look there after running 4.81/4.84 at his Pro Day with a 31-inch vertical and 9-foot-5 broad jump. Lovelocke isn't going to make it as a quarterback.

The Chiefs used a 2012 sixth-round pick on Gray. He appeared in 35 games the past three seasons, mainly on special teams. He's rushed for 99 career yards and one touchdown on 24 carries as the No. 3 back. Gray suffered a torn ACL in November and is now healthy enough where the Chiefs could cut him.

Copeland (5-foot-11 1/8, 271) went to LSU as a four-star defensive tackle, but converted to fullback as a true freshman and became a 22-game starter. What Copeland lacks in versatility -- he's no more than a short-yardage runner and caught seven career passes at LSU -- he makes up for with aggressive, relentless lead blocking. An extremely physical player, Copeland consistently removed linebackers from plays to clear alleys for Jeremy Hill. Dallas isn't a great landing spot for Copeland, however, due to OC Scott Linehan's pass-happy leanings.

Cardinals undrafted WR Damond Powell was shot on Friday, but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The incident happened in Powell's hometown of Toledo, Ohio. According to FOX10TV.com, Powell was sitting in his driveway with friends when he was shot in the face. Standing in at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Powell is a slot prospect out of Iowa. It's unclear if he'll be ready for training camp this week.